Bordentown Township deputy mayor charged with drunken driving

BORDENTOWN TOWNSHIP - Deputy Mayor Anita DiMattia was arrested early Saturday morning in Mansfield and charged with driving while intoxicated, reckless driving and disregarding a No U-turn sign, police said.

Mansfield Police arrested DiMattia, 34, at 1:26 a.m. Saturday after she made an illegal U-turn on Route 130 near the Riverfront Motel, according to a police report. The police report also states that "police detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages" inside the vehicle. DiMattia failed to perform satisfactorily in a series of field sobriety tests, the report said.

She was processed at police headquarters and later released to the custody of a friend. There were no passengers in her vehicle, according to the report.

DiMattia, reached at her home yesterday, confirmed the incident but called it "a personal matter that I'm handling, and I will have to face the consequences that lie ahead of me," she said.

She said she will stay in office. "This has nothing to do with the township or my position within the township," she said.

DiMattia said she was out socially that evening, and had three or four glasses of wine in the span of two and a half to three hours.

DiMattia said she did not have problems with alcohol, but admitted she had been arrested for an earlier DWI years ago; she didn't recall the exact year.

"That's all I would like to report on that," she said.

Committeeman Jason Medina stopped short of calling for DiMattia's resignation, but said a DWI is a serious offense.

"If these charges are substantiated, it's an offense that touches her office as an elected official and is a breach of the office she took and the public's trust as well," Medina said, "I'm sure the committee is interested in finding out more about this incident and taking appropriate action."

But Committeeman William Morelli, who served as mayor last year, said yesterday he thinks DiMattia should resign.

"This is not her first rodeo; it's a second offense," said Morelli, emphasizing that elected officials are held to a higher standard. "The fact that she has failed at that shows me she's not the kind of person who should be representing Bordentown," said Morelli, adding that he has some sympathy for DiMattia if she is facing a serious problem.

While not addressing DiMattia's case specifically, Committeeman Michael Dauber called her a responsible woman who would address the issue. Regarding drunken driving in general, he said it was important for people traveling during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend to not drive if they've had too many drinks.

Mayor Bruce Hill could not be reached by press time yesterday.

DiMattia is the liaison to the Bordentown Township Police Department. Her father, Matt DiMattia, served as township mayor in 1992.